A.I.: How Patterns Helped Artificial Intelligence Defeat World Champion Lee Sedol (Moments in Science)

WHO IS STRONGER: MAN OR MACHINE?
“An enthralling, contemporary tale of man versus machine.” Kirkus Reviews
“An attractive informational picture book on an unusual topic.” Booklist

The stage was set for a showdown
The true story of how a A.I. defeated a man, and how the man fought back.
Man v. Machine. On March 9, 2016, the AlphaGo artificial intelligence computer program played the board game, GO, against the world champion, Lee Sedol.

The Game
Go is the oldest board game in the world. Games are perfect tests for A.I because they keep score. It’s easy to see when the A.I. is improving.

The Man
Korean Lee Sedol was the world’s top Go player. He expected to win all five games of the match. Could the A.I. teach him anything?

The Machine
Developed in 2014, AlphaGo was a computer artificial intelligence program designed to play Go by using deep learning to recognize patterns in the game. It had already beaten the European champion. Could it defeat Sedol?

The exciting historic meeting of minds unfolded across five difficult games. This story introduces concepts of artificial intelligence and helps kids understand the challenges and the promise of working with A.I. The history of A.I. development results in a true story full of information and actual amazing events. Another story of a person who has done amazing things.

“The book also includes kid-friendly explanations of AI…The work will especially be enjoyed by young readers interested in technology, programming, or gaming.” Kirkus Reviews

MOMENTS IN SCIENCE COLLECTION, Book 6

This exciting series focuses on small moments in science that made a difference.

• BURN: Michael Faraday’s Candle
• CLANG! Ernst Chladni’s Sound Experiments (2019 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book)
• POLLEN: Darwin’s 130 Year Prediction (Junior Library Guild selection, Starred Kirkus Review. 2020 NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book)
• ECLIPSE: How the 1919 Eclipse Proved Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity
• EROSION: How Hugh Bennett Saved America’s Soil and Ended the Dust Bowl (2021 NCSS Notable Social Studies Book)
• AI: How Pattern Recognition Helped Artificial Intelligence Defeat World Champion Lee Sedol
• FEVER: How Tu YouYou Adapted Traditional Chinese Medicine to Find a Cure for Malaria
• AQUARIUM: How Jeannette Power Invented Aquariums to Observe Marine Life
• MAGNET: How William Gilbert Discovered that Earth is a Great Magnet

Children's book author and indie publisher DARCY PATTISON has written over seventy award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Five books have received starred PW, Kirkus, or BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, five Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book (CA Reading Assn.), two Junior Library Guild selections, two CLA Notable Children's Book in Language Arts, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book, a Best STEM Book, an Arkansiana Award, and the Susannah DeBlack Arkansas Children's History Book award. She's the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor's Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children's literature. Her books have been translated into eleven languages.
Always active, before her tenth birthday, she (almost) climbed the Continental Divide, turning back at the last twenty yards because it was too steep and great climbing shoes hadn't been invented yet. She once rode a bicycle down a volcano in Bali, Indonesia and has often hiked the Rockies. She's hiked New Zealand's backcountry for a taste of Kiwi life, and then strolled the beaches of Australia. Recently, she (finally) climbed the 14,043 foot Mt. Sherman in CO—hurrah for great hiking shoes. On her bucket list is kayaking the Nā Pali Coast of Hawaii and eating curry in Mumbai.